Knee-board and copy-holder.



No. 861,722. PATENTED JULY 30, 1907.

- B. H. HAAS.

KNEE BOARD AND COPY HOLDER.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 11, 1906.

,J M me!" an" am:

PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER HARRY HAAS, OF NEWARK,'NEW .IERSEY.

KNEE-BOARD AND COPY-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 19Q7.

Application filed August 11,1906. Serial No. 330.271.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER HARRY HAAS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Knee- Boards and Copy-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an article of this class to which the ordinary stenographers note book may be attached and then held fiat when the notes are taken and flexed so that the notes are held at an angle when transcribed so as to be readily seen. This object is accomplished by my invention as will appear below.

For a more particular description of my invention, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improved holder in the position it occupies when the notes are transcribed. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a clip for holding the loose sheets. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of my improved holder in the position it occupies when the notes are made. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a paper holder with papers therein. Fig. 5 is a similar view of another holder. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the upper part of the structure shown in Fig. 1 with the paper removed. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the upper part of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Throughout the various views of the drawing similar reference characters designate similar parts.

My improved knee board and copy holder con sists of two boards, 1 and 2 hinged together by hinges 3 and provided with latches 4 and 5. The board 1 is somewhat longer than the board 2 and both have the same width and thickness and are preferably covered by any material such as the cloth used in ordinary book-binding. The latch 5 is pivoted by screw 6 to one edge of the board 2 and the board 1 has a corresponding screw 7 over which the end of the latch 5 rests when the copy holder is erected as shown in Figs. 1, 6 and 7.

\Vhen the board is placed in the position shown in Fig. 3, which is the position it occupies when the notes are taken, the latch 5 is inoperative and rests against the edges of the board 1 and 2. At this time the boards 1 and 2 occupy the same plane, and are held rigid by the latch 4 pivoted at 8 on the face of the board 1. The other end of this latch 4 engages a screw 9 fixed to the face of the board 2 so that when this latch operates, the board is rigid as indicated in Fig. 3. The face of the board 1 near these hinges is provided with a curved spring plate 10 which is held in place by screws 11 and is provided with a slightly upward flaring lip 12 and a curved portion 13 adapted to hold the wire which secures a note book 14 or pages 15 in place by extending-under the plate 10 in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 7.

In Fig. 2 is shown a clip 16 which is adapted to hold loose pages 15 in place. This clip 16 consists of a spring Wire 17 bent to form two short and parallel arms 18 and then bent again upon itself to form a second set of slightly diverging arms 19 which are curved upwardly and then downwardly to form the paper engaging ends 20 which are adapted to pass through perforations 21 in the paper 15 and the extremities of these ends 20 rest firmly against the face of the board 1. Paper may be inserted or removed under this clip 16 either by moving this central wire 17 from under the plate 10 or by raising its ends 20 and then inserting or removing the paper. In Fig. 4 is shown a similar wire fastening 22 in which the pages 15 are permanently secured by having the wire 22 bent upon itself as shown.

Figs. 5 and 7 show a clip 23 for holding an ordinary stenographers note book 14. This clip 23 consists of a spring wire bail having its ends bent to form hooks 24. The central part 25 is slightly off-set so as to be placed under the plate 10 as shown in Fig. 7.

The note book 14 is inserted in the clip 23 as follows: This book is opened at the middle and as wide as possible and then flexed slightly along its medial line until its edges are clear of the hooks 24 when it is allowed to spring into its normal condition and the hooks 24 then rest at its transverse center as shown in Fig. 3. The clip 23 may then be inserted under the plate 10 in the usual manner and removed therefrom when desired.

In the foregoing has been described certain embodiments of my invention. It is obvious that it may be embodied in various other forms so that it is not limited to the precise construction herein shown and described, but is broad enough to cover all structures that come within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an article of the class described two boards hinged together with a latch on the edge of one adapted to engage a screw on the edge of the other whereby the boards may be held at an angle to each other, a latch pivoted on the face of the board adapted to engage a corresponding projection on the face of the other whereby the boards may be held in the same plane and means for securing paper to one of said boards.

2. In an article of the class described two boards hinged together and provided with means for holding them at an angle to each other and means for holding them rigidly in the same plane and means for holding paper on one of said boards.

3. In a device of the class described, two boards hinged together and provided with separate means for holding them either straight or at an angle to each other and means for holding paper to one of said boards.

4. In a device of the class described, two boards hinged together and provided with separate means for holding them either in the same plane orat an angle to each other, a plate secured to one of said boards, and a clip under said plate and held thereby to said board.

5. In a device of the class described, a pair of boards hinged together and provided with separate means for keeping them rigid in the same plane or for keeping them at an angle to each other, a curved plate fixed to one of said boards, and a clip with an elf-set portion extending 10 under said plate on said board.

In witness whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ELMER HARRY I-IAAS.

In presence of FRANK OLSEN, O. E. EDWARDS, Jr. 

